Muslim Rep. Keith Ellison: 'Muslims who support Trump is like chickens for Colonel Sanders'

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) -- the first Muslim elected to Congress -- denounced the idea that Donald Trump would win many Muslim voters over on Tuesday, The Hill reported.

"Muslims who support Trump is like chickens for Colonel Sanders, you know what I mean?" Ellison said during an event hosted by the National Press Club.

The Hill had previously reported that Walid Phares, Trump's head foreign policy advisor, had "quietly opened backchannels" with Muslim-American communities. Phares said many of those interactions were prompted by Muslim Republicans "seeking additional information" on the Republican candidate's positions.

"These people know what they want – they’re concerned about the well-being of their communities and believe that Trump has the right economic and social agenda," Phares said. "But they’re trying to get a handle on how he’ll deal with the Middle East."

Trump had previously called for a ban on Muslim immigration into the US, but has more recently said it was just a "suggestion."

Watch footage of Ellison's remarks, as posted online, below.